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Sunday, November 29, 2009

Over Thanksgiving in my hometown of Billings, I got to visit one of my favorite "looking" stores, Raffia (click on the link to check out their blog). When I am there I feel like I have stepped into an issue of Home Companion (RIP). Creative ideas are everywhere--thought I'd share a few. Sorry pictures were taken on the phone so quality is not great (neither are the ones that I take with a real camera Ü). Make sure you click on the pictures to enlarge them and see everything!

Loved the red locker decked out for Christmas. The wall treatment? Old Reader's Digest pages stapled at the top of each page to the wallLoved the scenes on paper behind these windows. I am thinking of putting a window up and having my kids paint different scenes for different seasons.This wall treatment has always been a favorite--decoupaged napkins.

Love the Santa hat chair covers, and an ornament sitting on each plate, plus more of the great Reader's Digest wall.

Great green sofa and red bench coffee table, but really wanted to show you the floor treatment, or untreatment. It is the glue stuck from old linoleum floor tiles being pulled up. I once asked hubby if I could glue down old tiles and then pull them up to get this treatment in our new house--he nixed that idea!

Loved the yummy blue cabinet against the burnt orange wall.

Pink and green confection--notice the rough pink beadboard.I want to sit here and have tea--love that birdcage lighting fixture--complete with birds on a wire!And who wouldn't love a holiday red table and chairs?

Monday, November 16, 2009

Well here it is--the finished (at least for now) room. We keep so much stuff in this room--stuff that probably shouldn't be there. But it is, so my goal was to find better ways to organize and store it. The only thing I purchased were the 3 brackets for the shelf above the washer and dryer ($7.50). Now mind you, I am a junker so I had plenty of a stash to dive into. The pieces I used I did buy at one point and time (still spending less than $40), but not recently and not for what they are being used for now.This hall tree replaced the locker system I had. I bought it in June for $25. I have had it in my entry way, but it doesn't fit there and the front door hit it. It needs a paint job, but will do for now. The kids are allowed to put their backpacks and 1 coat on it only. The rest go in the closet. I also told them that not every hoodie that they owned needed to be in here, but could be hung up in their bedroom closets. The bench opens for more shoe storage. No one is allowed to sit anything on the bench, except their hinies--so far so good. Hubby's and my drill battery chargers sit on top--not a great place but better than on the washer where they used to sit. There is a plug in behind it.The step ladder is a must have for watering plants I have up high and I have this one laundry basket (between the hall tree and step ladder) in there for dish towels and things--bought it a few years ago, a few dollars at a thrift store.This wall has a few different storage ideas.The shutter is a great place to hold all kinds of things, even CDs. Why do I have CDs in my laundry room? Who knows, but I did. I think they come in from cars, plus I listen to some of them in the summer in the garage while I work.This little metal box I picked up at thrift store last year for $2. I think it was a dehydrator or??? It had the metal racks in it. I do need to buy a magnetic closure for it. I painted it and am using it to keep paint stuff in. I have bottles of paint in pretty much every room in my house. I keep my small paintbrushes in the long metal box.The drawer boxes were given to me by a friend--she just stuck them in my car one day and told me later, "I put something in your car." One is holding all of the hooks I use for projects (there are more in the garage). Again, why do the hooks end up in the mudroom? Not sure but they were all over my dryer and in the cupboards, so now they are together. The other drawer is empty right now. I am sure that won't last too long.

I made this sign to balance the space out. My teenager said, "I think everyone knows it is the laundry room. You don't need a sign to tell them." Argh!And here is my favorite reuse. I was going to build a cabinet to go above the sink, but instead used a nightstand that I bought for $2 or $3 last year. I had to add a top. I made this little curtain for it--might need to shorten it. I am going to buy a paper towel holder to mount underneath (at a thrift store), but for now used a ribbon tacked up to hold the paper towel.Here is the before of the area above my sink.I can't get the paint off without removing the wall paint so I came up with this solution for now--a painted cupboard door, well sealed for "washibility". I added hooks to it for drying paintbrushes (did you know you should dry paintbrushes with the bristles down?). It covers up some of the paint splashes. I also added a curtain under the sink to hide the watering can under there.Again, I hope you found and idea that you can use. I might even like doing laundry now--or not!

I am sharing this on Do It Yourself day at Kimba's--where you can find over 200 great ideas in one place!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

So here is a little more of the mudroom makeover. I did not paint the walls--I would like to but didn't have painting a room in me right now. Remember, I am trying to use only things I have so it isn't magazine beautiful--more a hodgepodge of things that are working to keep it neater. Tune in tomorrow for part 3, the completed room and the fun storage solutions I came up with.

This is my ironing board. It was a boring old oak cabinet. I added the paint and chalkboard paint. The towel holder next to it was something I bought years ago at a home interior party or something. It was still in the box. Not my favorite but we have a hot tub so a place for towels is a must. The kids hang the wet ones here and can find the clean ones rolled up. This is over a heater vent so they dry quickly. I spray painted the wire basket to hold miscellaneous catalogs, etc.Here is a better picture of the baskets and ribbon trimmed shelf above the washer and dryer.I had this vintage shelf/cart (it is on wheels) in my room holding books. I painted another wooden shelf I had for my bedroom. I added the one board for an extra shelf, the other two are glass. I would like to find brown towels to set on these shelves for wet shoes, then I could throw them in the wash when needed. We have been using the shoe shelf for a week and a half and so far everyone is using it--even teenage son and he has been the worse shoes-all-over-the-place offender. Previously a garbage can sat in this space and junk the kids dropped there. The garbage can is now on the wall where the ironing board is, under the wire basket.One of my favorite changes was to take the rod out of the closet and add hooks instead. I buy these hooks in bulk so I already had plenty--they are the same ones you see on my chalkboards and things. Each hook holds 2 coats and it makes it so much easier and more accessible for the kiddos. I was planning on putting a second row of hooks down low for my daughter, but decided it would be too low with our coats hanging down. For now I have a basket holding more shoes. I have a rug under the basket. Some boots sit to the side. I want a shoe shelf, but I am not buying one right now--may make one eventually. This closet has a sliding pocket door which is nice.I am sure many of you do this, and I already had this, but had to show it because it really is the best solution for hats and gloves and scarves--a shoe pocket organizer.The metal door going into the garage became a magnetic art board.I hope you are getting a few ideas for your space. I am saving the best ideas for last Ü.

Friday, November 13, 2009

I am almost done. Have some finishing touches to do before I show you. I am excited to share some of the storage solutions I came up with.Here is one area that is finished and it includes the only thing I purchased for the redo--3 shelf brackets for a total of $7.50. This was previously empty space between the cupboards and washer and dryer ( as you can see, I don't have a matching washer/ dryer set--oh well this works too). Hubby ripped down a piece of MDF for the shelf. I painted it and hot glued the ribbon trim on it. The baskets used to sit on top of my lockers. They were red (which I can still see a little of in this picture). I spray painted them and added the metal label holders (I had some in the scrapbook stuff that I never use). The baskets hold batteries, tools, screws, tape and glue, and socks.

As you can see, "One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong. Can you tell me which is not like the others before I finish my song?" That is an oldie from MY days of watching Sesame Street! I had enough room for a 4th basket. This is my lonely sock basket where I put all of the swinging single socks and then every few months I pay my daughter 10 cents/pair to find matches.

Tune in Sunday or Monday to see it all. Tomorrow my son's HS football team is in the state semi-finals. I am excited for them, not too excited to be sitting in 35 degree weather for 3 hours.

Oh, and for all of you who asked, I am in Montana and I have seen weather like this every month of the year, even in July.

Monday, November 9, 2009

I know, you are expecting to see abeautiful mudroom. Aint gonna happen today--I just got home --unexpected happenings today, all good though. Thought I'd show you the mirrors on my daughter's wall. The coloring on this pic is horrible. Teenage son is taking a photography class and keeps messing with my camera and I don't know how to "unmess" it.I collected these hand mirrors for a few months. I refused to pay more than $5 for each mirror--most were bought for $2. I wrapped ribbon around the handles and used a few dots of hot glue to secure it. They look like they need a cleaning--better go do that. Look for the mudroom tomorrow or Wednesday.Also, I must apologize to sweet Jennifer at Momma Made It Look Easy (don't you love that blog name?) who gave me this great award a few weeks back for being an inspiration. How sweet --thanks Jen--you made my day then and again now Ü. Please visit her great blog and leave her a note. I love her random thoughts posts on Tuesdays.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

So, here is the ugly truth--my mudroom is a disaster. Honestly, it is usually not this bad, but has been neglected the past month due to being sick. This week I decided to tackle it and restructure and find some better solutions that will work.

My husband built this locker system. I envisioned my kids sitting in each little cubby to put their shoes on. Instead they became horizontal surfaces that hold junk, so now it is in the garage holding sporting goods.And the shoes--shoes, shoes, shoes everywhere--one of the pitfalls of not allowing the kids to walk on the carpet with their shoes on.I hope to show you the finished room by Monday. I am trying to do this without spending money, using what I have or building it. Wish me luck!

About Me

Hello there, I am Becky, a 48 year old mother of 3, plus 1 sweet son waiting for me in heaven, a wife, Jesus follower, junker, teacher. I love hunting for junk that I can repurpose, build with, or paint on. I also love taking advantage of the great outdoors in this beautiful place I live, Montana.

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